TikTok creator Izzi Alice Mitchell once posted that her parents were more furious about her vaping than they were about her teenage pregnancy.
That didn’t stop her signing up to promote Zozoo vapes on the platform, selling the “long lasting flavour” and the “smooth puffs”. At the same time, Vapes Bars vapes had five different campaigns running with five different influencers concurrently; while The Disposable Vape Store and Waka also turned to TikTok to sell their wares illegally.
Vapes can’t be promoted on TikTok – or any other commercial media – because they are unlicensed nicotine products. Never mind the fact that the predominantly young TikTok audience is so vulnerable to vaping addiction.
The vaping industry isn’t even trying to look legit, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that a ban on disposable vapes is looking more and more likely in the UK. Hopefully, an Australia-style ban on all e-cigarettes (unless prescribed by a doctor) might not be too far off.
